18
Chapter 18 Is This What a Genius Looks Like
“Writer!”
The youngest writer, Min Yumi, who had briefly gone to the office on an errand, rushed into the set with a pale face.
“Something’s gone wrong!”
Her face looked as if she had seen a ghost, yet her voice was small, like someone who had committed a grave mistake.
Even so, her movements were hurried, and her speech was fast.
“What’s with the panic?”
“This!”
She handed over a bundle of documents with trembling hands.
“What is this?”
“It’s Minho’s practice question booklet……”
“What?”
“I accidentally gave him someone else’s booklet.”
“What did you say?”
It was a specially prepared set meant to ensure Minho would at least reach Round 5.
In a live broadcast program, they couldn’t afford to lose a promising contestant too early.
But because of the unexpected situation, the wrong booklet had been handed to him.
“…I’m really sorry.”
Min Yumi looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
“But then how did he pass Round 5?”
“…What?”
Reality was completely different.
“Correct!”
From the stage came Minho’s streak of correct answers and Joo Youngmin’s booming confirmations.
“And now, we’ve reached Round 6. The prize money has gone from ten thousand to one million won.”
Up until Round 5, the prize increased only slightly, but now it would rise in much larger amounts.
“Will you continue?”
“Yes.”
“If you continue, you may lose the fifty thousand won you’ve earned. Will you still proceed?”
1, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 4000, 5000.
Only fifteen questions, but the prize increased exponentially.
And with high reward came high risk.
“Yes.”
As always, Do Minho answered with confidence.
“Then here is the sixth question. This mathematician gained fame in the 18th century and proved the case of n equals 3
in Fermat’s Last Theorem using infinite descent—”
“The answer is Leonhard Euler.”
‘Again, before the question even finished.’
Joo Youngmin blinked rapidly, unable to believe it.
“Is this some kind of hidden camera prank?”
Even he couldn’t help reacting.
“Correct!”
‘How did he figure out Euler from just that?’
Euler was famous, but identifying him from such a vague hint was unbelievable.
Suspicion had already begun from Round 2.
Even with preparation, the questions were far beyond what an eight-year-old should answer.
And Minho not only answered correctly, but explained them precisely.
“Minho, do you know about Fermat’s Last Theorem?”
“Not in detail, but I know it started from replacing the exponent in the Pythagorean theorem with n.”
‘He really knows.’
“The interesting part is that such a simple equation turned out to be incredibly difficult. Even Euler could only prove
a specific case using Fermat’s hint.”
‘That’s not just knowing.’
As Minho continued, the waiting contestants turned pale.
The audience couldn’t even follow what he was saying.
“This isn’t scripted……”
Even the staff were stunned.
“Our Minho seems quite interested in mathematics.”
“I like that it has definite answers.”
“Haha, I see.”
“But it’s difficult. Fermat’s Last Theorem wasn’t fully proven until 1993 by Andrew Wiles.”
‘That’s even more detailed than our script.’
Even Joo Youngmin struggled to maintain composure.
“People say the appeal of math is the sense of achievement. But what about the stress of unsolvable problems?”
“That sounds overwhelming.”
“That’s why I prefer art. Effort directly translates into results.”
“……”
‘He’s making jokes even now?’
“Still, you might become a great mathematician.”
“I’m not sure. I don’t enjoy it that much.”
Minho smiled slightly.
---
“Hey, Joo looks completely shaken. I’ve never seen him like that.”
“Be quiet!”
PD Park snapped.
“You should be happy. If a genius like that wins, it’s huge for you.”
“Do you want to get fired?”
“Alright, I’ll shut up.”
“He tricked me.”
“What?”
“Completely.”
“Let’s see if he gets this one.”
---
“Quark. Correct!”
Minho passed Round 9.
The prize reached ten million won.
“Minho, are you interested in science too?”
“I just like reading and memorizing.”
“That’s unusual.”
“It’s reliable.”
“Still, isn’t that too advanced for your age?”
“It just means I read a lot.”
“How much?”
“Too much to count.”
“He always has an answer.”
“Think of it like Picasso demanding fifty thousand francs after years of work.”
‘Is this really a genius?’
Joo Youngmin finally accepted it.
“Will you attempt Round 10?”
‘Please stop here…’
“I’ll continue.”
“….”
“Congratulations. Bonus question.”
Even his cheerful tone carried tension.
“If you answer correctly, you win a refrigerator.”
Bonus questions were usually sports-related.
Something viewers might know, but contestants likely wouldn’t.
“This is a golf term meaning three under par—”
“The answer is albatross.”
‘Impossible.’
“Correct!”
“How did you know?”
“I’ve always wanted to play golf, so I learned the rules.”
“27.432 meters, correct!”
Even another sports question was answered instantly.
‘Is he really going to win?’
“We’ve reached Round 15.”
One question remained.
“Will you continue?”
Minho hesitated slightly.
‘Should I stop here?’
Forty million won was already a huge prize.
‘Knowing when to stop is wise too.’
But—
“No.”
“I’ll continue!”
‘I’m not who I used to be. I’m not afraid of failure anymore.’
‘I even want to fail now.’
‘No matter what, I can still win in the end.’
‘I just want to live enjoying myself.’